Family and friend game nights are known to be notable events that bring out the worst in people. Depending on the crowd, each game can climax with the game board being flipped or a tantrum being thrown because someone lost at Monopoly or Risk. Betrayal, secret deals, and bad dice throws can be common occurrences during game sessions, depending on the right crowd.
No matter how nice everyone is with one another, there are some board games out there that will stir the pot (the nice way of saying it). Apart from classics such as the aforementioned Monopoly and Risk, these games can generate lasting hate and animosity between friends and family, especially for those who are determined to win it all, only to have their thunder taken out from under them.
8 Munchkin
In the classic game of monster-slaying and backstabbing your friends, players don the socks of adventurers who must kick down the dungeon door and slay an assortment of strange and at times, hilarious monsters to get treasure and increase in level. The first player who reaches level 10 wins it all. What makes this game engaging is that the person whose turn it is, can ask for help to defeat monsters (only 1) and can negotiate the price of help with allies. Friends may also sabotage one another by throwing in cards to make the enemy stronger or throwing in another monster for good measure.
As the game encourages betrayal and selfishness, many families and friends have stormed off in anger once they’ve lost or have died (players can die if they don’t defeat certain monsters) and many people have refused to ever touch the game again because of past wounds. Players have been warned.
7 Pax Pamir 2nd Edition
In Pax Pamir, players take on the role of Afghan chiefs vying for dominance in the 19th century after the last Afghan royal dynasty collapsed. To do this, players must ally with either British, Russian, or Afghan remnant coalitions as a means to an end to achieve power and supremacy.
The game focuses on flexibility as players will acquire cards to dominate regions of Afghanistan but must also adapt to the power shifts that are occurring. That may mean switching allegiances (eg. British to Russian) to be part of the ruling coalition or removing/’assassinating’ rival cards from the game. Players who may dominate one round can quickly find themselves on the losing end in the next, due to the game’s savage mechanisms. But thankfully, the game allows for quick comebacks if players are savvy and smart enough.
6 The Resistance: Avalon
The Resistance: Avalon is a social deduction game that will test the very foundations of every relationship. At the beginning of each game, players will either be Arthurian loyalists or minions of Mordred. Each round, a player will be nominated to be the quest giver and must select 3 people to go on a quest. The 3 chosen people must then vote on whether the quest succeeds or fails and the knights (good guys) must ensure 3 quests succeed to win the game. Like Mafia or Werewolf, nobody will know the identities of others apart from the minions, who know the identity of one another and must scheme to make 3 quests fail.
With the game based entirely on one’s instincts, players will convince each other of who the bad guys are by finger-pointing and denouncing others. Meanwhile, partners will bat their eyelids at their SOs and swear they’re one of the good guys. Regardless of the quest result, friendships and partnerships will certainly be put to the torch.
5 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
Based on the hit sci-fi show, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game thrusts players into the shoes of their favorite characters from the show, each with their unique strengths and weaknesses. Players must work together to deal with food shortages, enemy Cylon attacks, political unrests, and more whilst trying to expose one of their own as the traitor.
As the game progresses, players will take various actions on the Battlestar Galactica itself, the Colonial 1, or in a Viper and must resolve a sequence of objectives and crises. However, more players can become Cylons as well. Players will race to ensure the survival of humanity whilst the hidden traitor will bide their time and wait for the right moment to strike. Tense, thematic, and brutal, this game is a must-play regardless if players have seen the show.
4 Ticket To Ride
Though the game showcases gorgeous art and appears friendly, looks can be deceiving. In reality, Ticket To Ride is a cutthroat game where players must network their trains and establish their routes, whilst denying opponents theirs.
If players want to have the satisfaction of blocking off a nice route that their rivals have established and denying them valuable points, this game is the ticket. However, don’t get too salty if the same treatment comes around. The game also features multiple expansions such as Europe, Japan, Africa, and the Nordic countries.
3 Nemesis
In Nemesis, players wake up from cryo-sleep to find themselves on a ghost ship. Nearby, spaceman Steve lies in a pool of his own blood. Who did that to him? Where’s the bathroom? And why are weird sounds coming from the vents?
In this semi-cooperative experience, players must work together to fulfill their objectives whilst avoiding or destroying alien intruders that have infested the ship. Taking inspiration from the Alien franchise, players will select a class (eg. captain or mechanic) and select a primary objective to win the game.
Each player will choose from 2 options, one that is cooperative and more friendly, whilst the other is corporate (selfish and backstabby). As nobody knows each other’s objective, players will be squinting their eyes in suspicion as their friends charge ahead and lock the doors behind them. Meanwhile, a squishy and disturbing sound can be heard right behind…
2 Diplomacy
The classic game of negotiation and strategy. Players will assume a major power (or major powers if there are fewer players) before the events of World War 1. Here, players will move their troops and ships about and must negotiate alliances and make war to become the supreme power of Europe.
The game is devoid of dice and relies on the skill and tact of the player. Diplomacy is considered to be a long game and can take several hours or sessions to be resolved. Nominated as a favorite amongst several politicians and journalists including John F. Kennedy and Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy will see one’s wits and mind tested. As the game is long and drawn out, the effects of betrayal can be heavy for those who are not savvy enough to avoid it.
1 Cosmic Encounter
Munchkin but in space. In Cosmic Encounter, players will take on the role of alien civilizations colonizing the planets of other players. Each player will receive an assortment of power cards and have several ships that they must land on other planets to establish colonies. Oh, and each alien race has a special power.
Every round, a player will assume the role of an attacker and must attempt to establish a colony on another player's planet. They can do so by force or negotiate with their target. However, unlike Munchkin, players can get as many players to join them in the attack and defenders can do the same making the game open up to many different possibilities. Throw in alien special abilities and the game can become a mad zone of brutal attacks, frantic negotiations, and fiery betrayals that players will remember for years to come.